Rumford man sent back to federal prison for selling cocaine again

BANGOR, Maine — A Rumford man who previously served 4½ years in federal prison for selling cocaine was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to four years and nine months in prison for the same criminal conduct.

Joseph Belskis, 44, pleaded guilty earlier this year to selling cocaine again in May 2012.

In addition to jail time, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock sentenced Belskis to three years of supervised release on the new conviction of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

Woodcock also revoked Belskis’ supervised release on his 2007 conviction on the same charge after the defendant admitted violating its provision. The judge sentenced the Rumford man to 15 months in prison to be served at the same time he is serving the new sentence.

Belski was arrested May 3, 2012, after agents with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency set up a controlled buy of 2.5 grams of cocaine three weeks earlier using an unnamed cooperating defendant. The woman who was with Belskis when he was arrested told investigators that he had many customers and made between $500 and $1,000 a day, according to court documents.

Belskis faced up to 20 years in prison on the new charge and a fine of up to $1 million.